FANTASY FOOTBALL IN-SEASON FEATURES

FanDuel update: The JUMbotron finished with another solid 138th finish out of 482 teams in the Week 6 $500 FreeRoll. If you beat my score last week you pocketed $5 and that’s just what Huddlers i_am_the_swammi and Puddy have donein 5 of 6 weeks! They own me! CLICK HERE to play in Week 7.If you are new to FanDuel just register for an account and you’ll be taken straight to the FreeRoll. If you already have an account simply log-in with the "Existing Users?" link and you’ll go straight to the FreeRoll. It’s fun, it’s easy, and again… It’s FREE!

Jason Campbell hasn’t accomplished a lot in his NFL career – 31-39 record, 74 TD passes, 50 INTs, a decent 82.8 QB rating – but he has just done something remarkable. He single-handedly swung the power balance of 2 NFL divisions.

When Campbell went down in Week 6 with a broken collarbone, right before the trade deadline, he set into motion a chain of events that would lead to the impossible; Bengals owner Mike Brown finally shipping Carson Palmer, who he swore he would never “reward” with a trade. Faced with an offer he couldn’t refuse from his old friend Hue Jackson, Brown turned a 180 and did the deal, sending Palmer to Oakland for a 1st round pick in 2012 and at least a 2nd round pick in 2013. If Oakland wins a playoff game that 2013 pick also becomes a 1st rounder. Highway robbery: This deal, in my opinion, torpedoes Oakland’s overall franchise momentum going forward the next couple of years. They have the 13th youngest offense in the league. They run hard and hit hard. The defensive line surges. Coach Jackson instilled a new swagger – not a cheap bully attitude like Tom Cable’s mentality – but a pure desire to go 4 quarters. The future was as bright as it’s been in a decade… and then they gave away those huge picks. Plus they’ve already surrendered their 2012 3rd rounder for Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft and their 2012 7th rounder/2013 5th rounder for bust-LB Aaron Curry. The rest of the AFC West is loving this…

You see, Oakland is sitting pretty at 4-2 with a home game vs. Kansas City coming up. Then a perfectly-timed bye week, then a home game vs. Denver. Folks, they were looking at 6-2 even if Kyle Boller was starting. I firmly believe that. The Raiders are 9th in total offense, can run the ball on anybody, and all their WRs are healthy for the first time. Boller has been in the system for two years and could have kept the car on the road. But supposing I’m wrong about him, why couldn’t the Raiders acquire Kyle Orton for a 2nd round pick – or perhaps 3rd rounders in 2012 and 2013(?). No way Denver would have turned it down. Oakland gave away the farm for a quarterback who peaked 5 years ago. Palmer’s elbow had a serious problem in 2008 but he refused Tommy John surgery even after five specialists agreed the injury was “worrisome.” Not coincidentally, Palmer’s yards per attempt went from 7.3 “pre-elbow” to 6.6 “post-elbow.” His completion percentage dropped from 64.1% to 60.8%. His throws looked like Chad Pennington’s and I know you remember. He’s also totally rigid (or at least unwilling to move) in the pocket after blowing out his knee in 2006.

Now, the Bengals… They too are 4-2 and they opened 2011 with the youngest roster in the AFC. Their defense is one of the biggest stories of the season, currently ranked 2nd overall despite injuries to DE Robert Geathers and LB Rey Maualuga. LT Andrew Whitworth is the most underrated player in the league in my opinion, and it’s quite obvious that QB Andy Dalton has the makings of a franchise quarterback. Their remaining schedule isn’t particularly rough with the opponents’ combined 27-26 record, including St. Louis & Arizona in Weeks 15 & 16. Now they’ve collected a king’s bounty in exchange for a career .474 winning QB who hasn’t thrown even one exhibition pass in almost a year! Golly, there’s no way Mike Brown could screw this one up like he did when he turned down Mike Ditka’s foolish offer in 1999. Cincy also has an extra 3rd round compensatory pick for CB Johnathan Joseph signing with Houston and New England’s 5th rounder for Chad Ochocinco. One more thing, keep in mind the new CBA slashed the rookie pay scale so all their early picks are more desirable than ever. The next two drafts could bring Cincinnati an absolute boatload of talent if they play it right…and they owe it all to Jason Campbell, who broke his collarbone at the perfect time. The rest of the AFC North is hating this…

Prediction A: TE ____ _____ will catch 7 passes and score a TD at _____ this week as he gets on pace to challenge his career-best 862 receiving yards in a season.

Prediction B: The _____ are back home after a long 3-game road trip and will absolutely eviscerate the ____. There will be blood.

I’ll fill in those blanks in a few minutes…

Last Sunday I’m at the local sports bar, trying to lay eyes on as many games as possible (it’s my job) while directing a steady pour of Pabst Blue Ribbon from a lovely waitress. I’m alone but happy. Who needs friends? My friends are those guys on the telly wearing colorful helmets. Christmas-type feeling, never gets old. The crackling fantasy football buzz is in the air, people wearing NFL jerseys everywhere, working their smartphones, checking scores and crossing fingers. On this day I got a seat at the bar next to Packer Guy. He’s wearing the Aaron Rodgers jersey and proclaimed out loud (to no one specifically) that Rodgers was his fantasy QB. “Damn,” I thought to myself. “I know where this is heading.” Dude’s attacking buffalo wings, sucking the bones clean with an evil slurpy sound, and basically feeling pretty good about himself. Boom! Jordy Nelson busts that 93-yard TD in the 2nd quarter and he lets out a loud “Yeeeeeeaaaa Baaaybee” that startles the whole room. “Woo-hoo I’ve got Nelson too, he’s my boy, Blue!” I winced and kept my focus on the Atlanta game, starting to simmer over Roddy White’s obvious disinterest in my fantasy squad. As we moved into the 4th quarter Packer Guy drank himself from Cheesehead to NFL analyst. He has an insane observation after every (hiccup) play on every TV around the room.

A couple hours of torture gives way to conflict. Packer Guy suddenly leans into my personal space and slobberily explains to me that the reason Greg Jennings isn’t lighting it up on this particular day is because “He’s no good on grass, only on the Astro-Turf.” Uh, he said Astro-Turf. I took a healthy swig of PBR, wiped his spittle from my cheek and took the bait. “Actually, he’s done well today on the Lambeau grass – 5 catches for 84 yards so far – and there’s 12 minutes left.” Packer Guy is caught off balance, but he reloads and shoots back with “No, Jennings doesn’t usually get as open on grass so Rodgers won’t throw to him a lot unless they’re on artificial turf.” Dammit, I’m 6 beers in and there’s no turning back now. I fire back with “I have to respectfully disagree. Jennings is absolute money and he’s equally lethal on grass, turf, sand, linoleum, hot coals, whatever. No matter where they are, Rodgers throws to Jennings early and often.” My new friend is not accepting my words. “How do you know?” Then he wheels off his barstool for a bathroom break. The Green Bay game ends while he’s doing his business (for 20 minutes, Aaay, the hot wings!) so I’m hoping he’ll leave without a peep. Nope. He sneaks in behind me and growls so creepily close in my ear – “Jennings don’t get Rodgers-love when they’re playing on grass so do the research brutha’ then meet me here with the stats next week” – then pats my back a little too hard, a la Jim Harbaugh, and stumbles for the front door.

Ok, Packer Guy. See you Sunday.

Greg Jennings - Targets, Yards, TDs

GRASS - Last 18 Games

NOT GRASS - Last 18 Games

Targets

Yards

TDs

Targets

Yards

TDs

10

82

0

5

82

1

7

103

1

7

64

2

10

119

0

10

101

0

8

55

1

8

52

0

8

89

1

8

119

0

11

130

0

9

152

3

5

8

0

12

130

1

10

97

0

6

29

0

10

142

0

6

53

0

5

30

1

6

31

0

7

122

2

3

103

0

7

80

1

15

101

1

12

81

0

4

37

0

10

74

1

10

167

0

7

133

1

7

66

1

5

22

0

7

87

1

5

25

1

7

60

2

6

18

1

6

43

1

143

1410

11

136

1477

13

I’ve always had a thing for Vivica A. Fox. I used to live in Los Angeles and once sat 5 feet from her at La Serenata Restaurant. That is all.

The 4 “Most Added” players in ESPN leagues this week are: 1) Earnest Graham, 2) Darrius Heyward-Bey, 3) Tim Tebow, and 4) Delone Carter. I’ve got no problems with the first three, but I’d love to post a hard-coded warning on the ESPN add/drop page that says in big red letters: “Hey people, Carter is not going to give you what you want. JUMbotron recommends Donald Brown instead.”

Have you wondered which teams have the real muscle up front, especially in the middle where the nasty stuff goes down?

Rushing Up The Middle

Team

Avg Gain

St. Louis

7.72

Philadelphia

6.52

Houston

5.32

Buffalo

5.18

San Francisco

4.94

Chicago

4.89

Oakland

4.85

Jacksonville

4.79

Pittsburgh

4.57

NY Giants

4.48

Seattle

4.38

Miami

4.27

San Diego

4.15

Dallas

4.10

Indianapolis

3.94

Arizona

3.93

New England

3.78

Atlanta

3.78

NY Jets

3.77

Kansas City

3.77

Tampa Bay

3.62

Minnesota

3.52

Denver

3.48

Green Bay

3.48

New Orleans

3.33

Detroit

2.94

Baltimore

2.91

Tennessee

2.85

Washington

2.71

Cleveland

2.70

Carolina

2.69

Cincinnati

2.4 0

I miss Heath Ledger. When you see someone who’s the best you just want to see more. I can’t believe it will be 4 years in January… Sigh. Let’s re-visit a classic scene from The Dark Knight. I want you to focus on composer Hans Zimmer’s score when The Joker grabs Rachel’s face and explains his scars. Zimmer said he used razor blades on string instruments to create that dreadful sound.

JUMbo Buy/Sell/Chill:

BUY: Lions RB Keiland Williams. Now that the Ronnie Brown trade was nixed (because Jerome Harrison failed a physical) and he’s back in Philly, the battle is back to Maurice Morris vs. Keiland Williams. It’s a pertinent topic in fantasy football because Jahvid Best suffered yet another concussion. The front-runner is Morris, but how far “in front” is he, and does it even matter? My point is that the Lions travel by air, and they score via the pass even when they get inside the 20. Best only has 13 rushing attempts in the red zone, 16th in the league. In fact, between Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew, and Nate Burleson they have 8 red-zone TD catches. If you pick up Morris what are you really getting if he starts, a poor man’s Best? Maybe 12-14 touches, 50-60 total yards? Detroit needs a tank in the red zone if they are going to win in November and December, and Jim Schwartz knows this. I think the 230-lb Williams is a sleeper in TD-heavy leagues if Best gets shut down for a while (which is possible, sorry to say).

BUY: Giants QB Eli Manning. Bye weeks are a great time to make an offer. Eli’s on bye and his recent fantasy spurt was quieted by Ahmad Bradshaw’s 3 TD runs last week. His owner might need to make a move, or simply want to deal for one of your RBs or WRs. If you have great depth at those positions but have been sort of scraping by with a Romo/Flacco/Ryan type of gig, then maybe it’s time to negotiate. Why carry 4 good RBs at this point? You can’t take ‘em with you. The season is short and if you don’t have a gunner at QB you’re toast. Eli is that streaky kind of gunner. From Weeks 2-5 he was the 4th best fantasy QB with 1218 passing yards & 11 TDs. His schedule after this bye is great too: Miami (ranked 26th vs. fantasy QBs), New England (31st), San Francisco (19th), Philadelphia (16th), New Orleans (24th), Green Bay (29th).

BUY: Titans WR Damian Williams. I immediately recommended him as a flex when Kenny Britt went down and Damian scored in consecutive games before the Week 6 bye. A little story about Damian; back in the preseason Tennessee abruptly waived WR Justin Gage after he’d had his best camp ever. I called my Titans insider and asked, “Why Gage?” He replied, “It’s not Gage so much as his salary ($3.5 million) and the vibe that Damian Williams can be a difference-maker. Only so many roster spots, man.” I also believe the reason Tennessee cooled on Brandon Lloyd is because of Williams’ potential. Now the 23-year old ex-Trojan has had almost 4 weeks of starter’s reps. Get on board.

BUY: Redskins TE Fred Davis. Chris Cooley “smashed” his hand or finger according to Mike Shanahan and won’t play in Week 7. He was already fading on a troublesome left knee that’s going to need another surgery soon. Fred Davis is the man, pure and simple, and is quietly the 7th-ranked TE in fantasy points per game. But here’s the best part… Davis can be acquired in a trade and I’m betting it won’t take much. The Redskins just got shellacked by Philly and Rex Grossman was yanked. Negative vibes all around Davis with the John Beck questions. I watched last week and when Beck entered that game his first look was toward Davis on 5 of his first 7 throws – and he did throw to him on 3 of them. The man can get open and I like his schedule: Carolina (ranked 11th vs. fantasy TEs), Buffalo (21st), San Francisco (19th), Miami (30th), Dallas (31st). I would trade Vernon Davis or Greg Olsen for Fred Davis right now because with the name value you’re offering you could pull Darrius Heyward-Bey, Doug Baldwin or Victor Cruz out of the deal too.

BUY: Rams QB Sam Bradford. The Rams are in a tailspin, his ankle is messed up, and they’re headed to Dallas to get whipped. Perfect time to nab Bradford in a sly trade. You could mask your desire in a 2-for-2 or 3-for-3 deal. Even if Sam misses a game or two I don’t care because if you want a low-risk/high-reward QB there’s none cheaper on the market. Starting next week the Rams schedule is: home vs. New Orleans (ranked 24th vs. fantasy QBs), at Arizona (22nd), at Cleveland (7th), at home vs. Seattle (17th), vs. Arizona (22nd). These are all reasonable matchups, unlike the brutal slate Bradford barely lived through recently. I’ll also remind you that new Rams WR Brandon Lloyd played like a 24-year old Randy Moss in Josh McDaniels’ system last year.

SELL: Raiders WR Denarius Moore. The rookie’s 15 minutes might be up. Moore came out blazing with a 5-146-1 extravaganza in Week 2 vs. Buffalo, but the Bills always get tagged. Only 2 defenses have allowed more yards to WRs. Since then Moore has tailed off. In Week 3 he caught 4 passes for 34 yards and ran in a touchdown. In Week 4 he caught a 6-yard TD vs. the Patriots (again a lousy secondary) but hasn’t been seen ever since. If Moore’s roster spot is preventing you from picking up Torrey Smith, Greg Little, or even Demaryius Thomas – cut bait and make the move. All the other Raiders WRs are healthy now and they all have more experience navigating a 16-game NFL season.

SELL: Browns RB Peyton Hillis. Thanks Madden! Now he’s got the hamstring issue, a strange battle with Browns management over money (that he won’t get), and Montario Hardesty is finally making is move. Before the bottom completely falls out I would try to trade Hillis for Jackie Battle, Darren Sproles -- maybe even Mike Tolbert if you can get a mid-grade WR tossed in with him. Look, let’s suppose Hillis was healthy and viable right now. Hardesty still isn’t going away, and look at the Browns schedule: Oakland (ranked 31st vs. fantasy RBs but is Hillis going to play?), Seattle (5th), San Francisco (2nd), and Houston (10th).

SELL: Packers WR Jordy Nelson. I don’t pull punches. Yes, Nelson is making huge plays and helping fantasy teams grab W’s. ESPN, NFL Network, I replay Nelson highlights in my mind while I’m in line at Subway. However, Nelson only plays about half the offensive snaps for Green Bay as he rotates with Jones, Driver, Cobb, amongst other 2-RB and 2-TE packages. Nelson is 52nd among WRs in targets. He can’t keep scoring on every rare 7th throw that arrives. Sell high. You’ll get something really good in return. (Note: Green Bay is off in Week 8.)

SELL: Bucs WR Mike Williams. How can Mikey be such a bust? He’s one of only a handful of WRs that plays 60 snaps every single week. One touchdown. And get this, he’s ranked 4th on his own team in receiving yards – Preston Parker 268, Kellen Winslow 257, Arrelious Benn 243, Williams 242. It’s insane and frankly you don’t have time to figure it out. Bench him, trade him, dump him, just do something to shake his rust off you. Don’t get struck out looking. Swing at something.

CHILL: Falcons WR Roddy White. Stud WRs are tricky sometimes, but the light can flick on suddenly with the power of a thousand suns. I recall last October when I was this close to dropping Dwayne Bowe on his LSU butt. All of the sudden he went wild with an eye-popping 13 TDs in 7 games. What was the trigger? I don’t know, but Matt Cassel ain’t no Matt Ryan and yet he made it happen. I know that Bowe had a suddenly easy slate with 5 of those 7 opponents ranked 23rd or worse against the pass. Roddy’s next 7 opponents? Detroit (6th), Indianapolis (18th), New Orleans (19th), Tennessee (12th), Minnesota (24th), Houston (13th), Carolina (11th). Well… I’m still not giving up.

CHILL: Chargers QB Philip Rivers. Trust me, I’m biased here. Rivers is on every fantasy team I have. My gut says, “Something ain’t right, John. Can you move him for someone else?” Then my brain says, “Hold it homey, he’s been without Gates and sometimes Vincent Jackson or Malcom Floyd. They’ve had a bye week to recuperate so keep your panties on.” The other benefit of the bye is that a student like Rivers has surely dissected all the crap he’s put on film and he will get it corrected. I love that San Diego is facing a rough opponent like the Jets. Wake-up call. I want my Rivers talking junk and flicking off Bart Scott after every completion.

CHILL: Packers RB James Starks. The big breakout just isn’t happening. Starks is middling around in your flex spot while your buddies keep hitting lottery tickets like Ryan Torain, Victor Cruz, or James Jones. It’s vexing but you must stay the course. Starks is averaging a healthy 16 touches over the last 3 games. Ryan Grant averages 12, and the needle’s definitely pointing toward Starks. His touchdowns will come. The Starks takeover is happening right before your eyes as Grant’s career begins its rapid decline. The weather will get very cold soon and that’s just how this ex-University at Buffalo star likes it.

“The finer points of the position aren't coming to the forefront. Route running, discipline of depth on his routes, adjustments, lining up to set up his pass routes. Just the little things… too many chopped steps on his breaks, not enough separation from defensive backs. That's why he always has to fight for the ball.” – Ex-Cowboys WR Drew Pearson talking about Dez Bryant.

“Well, I think I would have had a couple rings. I'm telling you, those teams were loaded. There's no question about it. But things happen for a reason.” – Rex Ryan on what would have happened if San Diego had hired him instead of Norv Turner.

“After I saw the quote, I didn't have a chance to ask him this, but I was wondering if he had those rings with the ones he's guaranteed the last couple of years.” – Norv Turner upon hearing Rex Ryan’s remark.

Hmmm… Beanie Wells. No one talks about him. He missed Week 3 with the hamstring and then the Cards were off in Week 6, so he’s flying under the radar. Did you know Wells is the #3 ranked RB in fantasy points per game? 381 rushing yards and 6 TDs in 4 games. Speaking of the Cardinals, Larry Fitzgerald is at home vs. Pittsburgh this week. He doesn’t like it at home. Over his last 10 home games he has 48 catches for 642 yards and 3 TDs – but in his last 10 road games he has 66 catches for 879 yards and 4 TDs. That’s a big spread, the biggest I’ve seen in a while (believe me, the JUMbotron runs weird stat-splits all the time), and I think I know what the problem is. Fitzgerald misses Kurt Warner... dearly. University of Phoenix Stadium was like a love nest for Fitz and Warner. They shared so many memories there, hitting post routes, buckets of touchdowns, hugging and celebrating, then cuddling in the film room Sunday nights to watch True Blood. Now it doesn’t feel like home without Kurt.

JUMbo Cheerleader Series:

Redskins: Mila (Good Lord this young woman is an absolute freaky bombshell.)
Falcons: Erin (She’s in Cindy Crawford territory. Her agent needs to get cracking.)
Bucs: Meagan (I can’t go 2 weeks without a Meagan pic, it’s against my religion.)
Bucs: Meagan (These Meagan pics are from last week’s win over New Orleans.)
Texans: Nicole (Their cheerleaders are perennially in the NFL top-5, every year.)
Jets: Jenniphure (Wow if I’m at a Jets game I’m reaching phure my binoculars.)
Jets: Kerri Ann (Sleeper pickup for the JUMbo Series, I’ll search for more K.A.)
Bucs: Rachel (Sometimes in my car I’ll just start thinking about this woman….)
Bucs: Rachel (….wondering what she had for breakfast, that sorta thing…)
Texans: Kayla (Her first ever appearance here. I bet she’s got even saucier pics.)
Texans: Catie (She left the Texans last year, a bigger loss than FB Vonta Leach.)

Prediction A: TE Owen Daniels will catch 7 passes and score a TD at Tennessee this week as he gets on pace to challenge his career-best 862 receiving yards in a season.

Prediction B: The Saints are back home after a long 3-game road trip and will absolutely eviscerate the Colts. There will be blood.

If you’re not on Twitter yet, go sign up, follow me @HuddleJUMbotron and I’ll give my next 10 Huddler followers a big welcome-tweet into the Twitterverse. Your name will be in lights for a whopping 808 people to see!?! Seriously, I post more of these sassy cheerleader pics on Twitter. Get on board.